Remember the blog post (read it here) of turning the dress to a cropped top? Well there was a lot of fabric (a whole skirt in fact) left over. And not one to throw anything away I did some brainstorming of what I could use if for. The print is really cute and with a trend arising for backpacks I thought, why not!
So here is my Scrap to Backpack How to:

I decided to use all of one side of the skirt for this project, but you could use whatever size you like depending on how big a bag you would like. You will also need 1" wide Herringbone tape and 3/8" wide cord/rope, both in colours that compliment the fabric.

Step 1.

Firstly, I folded the fabric in half, right side of fabric together. Pinning the along the edges to hold in place.

Step 2.

You could do this step by hand if you do not have a sewing machine. Starting with short side first, sew 1/2" from the edge all the way up to the hem* of the original skirt.

*If you are using just a square of fabric and do not have an original hem to utilize. Single turn a 1/4" press then turn 3/4" press then sew. This should be done before sewing around the edges.

Step 3.

Turn bag the right way round and decide on what length the backpack needs to be (if you have not already done so). For this I folded the excess over, to act as flap.

Step 4.

Measure out the length of the straps on the herringbone tape. For me, I cut two lengths, 27" long.

Step 5.

Then pin straps to back of back, folding each end of strap 1/2" to secure raw edges.

Straps are set 7" apart. Stitch the straps to the back of the bag to secure.

Step 6.

Next, measure out the length of cord that is needed for around the top of your bag.

Ensure that one side is double knotted and the other is taped to stop if unwinding and making it easier to feed through the tunnel.

Feed the cord through the tunnel, knot the other end and remove tape.

And ta da!

Perfect lightweight backpack for yoga, beach and groceries!

What do you think? Will you try turning your scrap fabric into a new backpack?